“I’m not here to convince you of anything,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “I came in to help you calm down, not make a life-changing decision. But let me ask you this—when you leave here, where are you planning on going?”
Her eyes narrowed like she was trying to figure out if I really wanted an answer from her or not.
“You can’t go back to your place—it’s trashed. And whoever you owe those drugs to is probably going to come looking again soon. Sure, you could stay with Cassie, but how long before you bail because you don’t like the ground rules she lays out for you? And you know she’ll lay them out. Girl’s stubborn as hell,” I said, a small laugh escaping me despite the heaviness of it all.
Cathy fidgeted with the hospital blanket, twisting it between her fingers.
“So what’s your plan, then?” I asked again sternly.
She stared off toward the wall like it might give her the answer she was looking for.
“You’ve got nowhere to go, Cathy. No one left to turn to,” I said, my words low but firm. “This is rock bottom. You’re sitting in a hospital bed, trying to figure out where to score your next high while your face is busted up from a dealer who nearly killed you. You can’t go back to him. So what now? Gonna find a new one? That’s a long, dangerous night waiting to happen.”
I didn’t say it to be cruel. Sometimes the truth has to sting before it can save you.
“After I sobered up and went to rehab, I learned a lot,” I said. “Did a hell of a lot of thinking and listening depending on the day.” I leaned back a little and sighed. “Here’s my best advice—take it or leave it. It can go in one ear and out the other, I don’t give a damn either way.”
Cathy looked at me warily.
“The truth is, you’ll always choose drugs over Cassie until you chooseyourselfover the drugs,” I said quietly. “Getting sober isn’t about making everyone else happy. It’s about finding a way to be happy with yourself first. Because that’s the only way anyone else can be happy for you.”
Her eyes dropped to her lap.
“And that’s all Cassie wants from you,” I added, my voice softening. “For you to be the best, happiest version of yourself. She loves you more than you realize. But she’s running out of ways to save you. And you’re running out of time to save yourself.”
The triage room door slid open, stopping me. Cassie walked in, carrying snacks from the vending machine. Totally oblivious to the serious moment playing out between Cathy and me.
“I talked with the doctor at the counter. He said you can go home tonight if you want, Mom,” she said, relief softening her voice. “He’ll be right back with your discharge papers, then we can get out of here.”
Cassie turned to me. “Can you please give us a ride back to my place?”
“Of course,” I said without hesitation.
The rest of the night went smoother than it had started. Cassie’s mom was discharged an hour later. I drove both of them back to Cassie’s house. Cassie was confident she could handle her mom by herself for one night. I wanted to stay so I could help Cassie if she needed it, but I didn’t want to overstep. She promised she’d be fine without me, so I left her standing in the glow of her porch light, watching until she went inside.
By the time I got home, it was past midnight. I was exhausted, but my mind refused to shut off. I couldn’t stop thinking about Cassie and her mom… about the guy who’d done this—whether he’d figure out where Cathy was staying and show up at Cassie’s house.
After thirty minutes of staring at the ceiling––my thoughts running wild––I gave up on sleep altogether. Throwing on an old sweatshirt, I grabbed my keys off the counter and headed for my truck. Call it overprotective or borderline crazy, but I didn’t care. If that man Casey’s mom owed drugs to came looking for trouble, I wanted to make damn sure he didn’t find Cassie home alone without someone there to protect her.
The drive to her place was quiet. By the time I turned onto her street, most of the houses were dark. I parked a few doors down, close enough to keep a close eye on things but far enough that she wouldn’t notice my truck if she happened to look out a window. My black pistol gleamed under the moon light, sitting ready on my center console in case trouble decided to arrive.
I leaned back in the seat, the engine ticking as it cooled. Cassie’s porch light was still on, a soft glow spilling across the front steps.
I sat there for hours, watching, thinking, half-dozing off but never really asleep. Night bled into morning with the horizon morphing into shades of pink and gold.
When the sun finally came up, I watched Cassie back out of her driveway headed to the same place she does every morning.
As her SUV rounded the corner out of sight, I passed out, not waking until the afternoon.
Chapter 25 – Jace
Standing in front of the Daily Grind, I was nervous as hell. Cassie texted me this morning, asking to meet her at the coffee shop after she closed for the day, with no explanation why. I hadn’t talked with her since Friday night when we took her mom to the hospital––the same night I put it all on the line for her.
As I stood in front of the glass door with the open sign flipped to closed, I noticed the front of the coffee shop had more decorations compared to the last time I saw it. Cassie had painted pumpkins across the front windows and hung orange lights outlining the windowsills on the inside.
I pushed on the door, realizing it was still unlocked even though the coffee shop was closed for the day. I made a mental note to remind Cassie to lock up when she’s alone after hours. Silver Creek’s crime rate was almost nonexistent, but you couldn’t trust everyone, especially not the people traveling through for one reason or another.
Inside the coffee shop, Cassie had placed small pumpkins in the middle of each table and bigger ones on the front counter and the shelves behind the register. It was like fall had walked in and exploded all over the place—but in a tasteful way.
